coastal
Americanadjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of coastal
Explanation
Coastal things are near the ocean. If you like spending time at the beach, you might take a trip to a sunny, coastal vacation spot. Be sure to pack your swimsuit! You might read phrases like "coastal waters" or "coastal erosion" in an environmental science textbook. The coast is the land that borders an ocean or sea, and the adjective coastal describes things that affect the coast or are located there. Before it meant "edge of the land," coast referred to a body part—specifically, the rib or "flank."
Vocabulary lists containing coastal
The United States
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South America - Middle School
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Canada - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Demonstrators said the bird would become extinct on an island near the coastal city of Vlora, if the plans for a luxury development went ahead.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Meanwhile, populous coastal states such as California and New York have seen bills rise more slowly than the U.S. as a whole.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Scientists believe these color differences are likely caused by sediment carried into the sea by rivers and redistributed by coastal currents.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
The National Hurricane Center said the worst of Rachel was over but "hazardous coastal conditions" could persist for days, with the highest waves coinciding with high tides, causing life-threatening surf and rip currents.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Earlier that year, the Coast Guard had spotted the I’m Alone in the Gulf of Mexico, sailing in coastal lanes that rumrunners often used.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
